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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:00 pm
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For the first time in far too long, Halili slept deeply and woke feeling refreshed. She also woke early enough to see the sunlight streaming into her den. Suddenly, the King's decree that the pride live their lives beneath the moonlight was too restrictive, and the lioness got to her feet to stand beneath the sun's heat.
It was a change, but it made her feel warm, the same way that 'Misa's presence had, and she savored it. The sunlight had always made her happy, even as a cub. But until today, Halili hadn't even realized how much she'd missed it.
She sighed, content for the moment.
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:16 pm
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"Yes, very well, thank you," Halili replied with a smile. It felt almost foreign on her face, a sensation she hadn't been able to recognize last night. Had it truly been so long since she'd been, well, not happy, but at peace? It was such a wonderous feeling that the older lioness was loathe to destroy the moment, but she was no coward. The low-class lion couldn't turn her back on the pride and what was happening, no matter how nice the day nor how well she'd finally slept.
"It seemed that you came here for a purpose last night?" she asked her daughter at last. "I'm sorry for distracting you from it." Halili turned to face the younger lioness, giving Tatamisa her full attention. Did the sunlight feel just a bit cooler? Or was it her own perception of the day that had changed?
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:32 pm
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Tatamisa's smile turned into confusion when her mother asked why she had come, and then she gave a little jump when she remembered what had brought her here. The shock of the state of her mother was wearing off, Halili seemed much better for her patience, but.. they still had to talk. She just hoped it didn't ruin everything.
"Oh, I just.. wanted to talk to you," she said, frowning, "I want to know your side of what happened with dad. N-not that I've really talked to him about it, either.."
Would it have been any easier to start with dad? Maybe, but maybe not. She didn't want to ask him, she wanted to ask her.
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:44 pm
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Oh yes, the tentative warmth of the day was gone, and now it was simply bright out as Tatamisa asked what Halili had dreaded most. It didn't matter that the black lioness hadn't yet spoken to her father, she'd asked her mother to relive those moments, that arguments. The older lioness stood, all joy gone from her expression as she studied her daughter and considered what she'd been asked. Finally, she nodded.
"He, and your grandfather, came into the den," she didn't call it her own, because that was to say that Orion would never return, "and they were covered in blood." She could almost smell it, even now. "Your father told me that he'd killed Tyfu. I almost couldn't believe it, he's such a gentle lion. And we all knew there'd be trouble - it was Tyfu, after all."
Really, there was no need to elaborate on that point. Everyone in the pride had known who she was, and they had all seen how things had gone after her death.
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:49 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:55 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:59 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:06 pm
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"I supported him, yes," Halili sighed. "And I suppose I still do, if only because I refuse to take back my word once given." She snorted, shaking her head at herself. "I declined the invitation to be a Royal Guard not because I thought I couldn't do the job, nor because I didn't support Shangyue, but because I didn't want to put myself forward to the pride as a whole."
Well, anyone who'd an adult or adolescent at the time couldn't have helped knowing what had happened at Shangyue's coronation, and how she'd kept her father from killing the new King. But Halili hadn't wanted to become one of the obvious symbols of the new regime, preferring a quiet life with her mate. Of course, the young King had decided that Orion would also make a good Royal Guard for several political reasons, but that was beside the point. And if even her own children, well, the younger ones at least, had no real idea of what she'd done, then her goal had been achieved.
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:26 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:32 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:37 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:41 pm
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:53 pm
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The more Halili spoke, the more certain Tatamisa was that she couldn't possibly know that Nyeusi had killed Mari and nearly killed Chunyue. It was almost certain that neither would have happened if Tyfu was alive, but Nyeusi was a target before that and she was not afraid to defend herself.. and apparently she was quite capable.
She was speechless again at the remarking about Uchanjaa dying a hero. For her stubborn refusal to take back her loyalty to the king, she had some very strong, very specific opinions about the rebellion and what they were doing. Mostly what they were doing wrong.
"I think.. if grandpa had died, dad would be lost, too."
She hadn't spoken to Orion but she knew how Tyfu's death at his paws weighed on him, he was a gentle lion, just like her mother had said. He wasn't a killer. Tyfu was no great loss, but if he was partially responsible for Uchanjaa's death, if he hadn't done anything..
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 8:59 pm
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The lioness considered Tatamisa's hestitant words. There was, she admitted, some truth in them. On the other paw, considering who'd been in charge of that group, if Orion had done as he had and Uchanjaa had died, things would have been easier. Sure, he'd have outed himself as a rebel, but Halili would have been able to offer her mate the support he deserved. Why her father made such a difference, even the beige lioness had trouble putting into words. She could only say that if one thing was so, another would follow. But if a different thing was so, a very different path would follow.
It was, in the end, her failing. And none of it stopped her loving Orion. But she couldn't, wouldn't, abandon Shangyue. She would remain true until the King died. Then, and only then, would she be able to reevaluate where she stood in the pride.
So many lions were changing their allegiance, whether because they were becoming disillusioned or because they were simply garss, swaying in whatever direction the wind dictated. Halili would never go out and attack a pridemember - regardless of how that membership was defined - but she would remain here and do her duty. She was not one of the King's servants. Simply a loyal Slave.
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